Improved rattit-basket



' glaubt' .@cwm tait/5 tattut i tti CHARLES MOORE, OF STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 84,207, (lated November 17 1868.

To all whom yit may concern..-

Be it known that I, CHARLES Moolen, of Stratford, in the .county of Fairiield, and State of Connecticut, have invented a neuand improved Fruit-Basket; and I d0 hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, ibrming part of this specitication.

This invention relates to a new and useihlimprovement in the construction of fruit-baskets, such -as are used forcarrying small fruit, berries, tbc., to market.

The object of the invention is to obtain a basket which may be manufactured cheaper, and be far more durable than the various wooden baskets now in general use. h/J

The invention consists in constructing the basket out of sheet-metal, and out of a single piece, so that there will be but little manipulation or hand-work, the

metal being tirst cut in proper form, and then swaged up into the desired 'shape for the basket.

This Work may be very readily performed, and as the stock or sheet-metal is very thin or light, the baskets may be manufacturedat a very small cost,` and if properly coated or japanned, to prevent corrosion, will be extremely durable.

In-the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure l is a plan or top view of a piece of sheetmetal, cut in the desired form to be swaged into basket-shape.

Figure 2, a side view of the basket.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The sheet-metal I design to use for the manufacture I of the baskets is light sheet-iron, such as' is used by Abutton-makers, for instance.

This probably would be the cheapest and most desirable kStock for the purpose.

The sheet-metal is cut, by means of suitable dies, into circular pieces, having radial cuts, a, of any suitable curved form, said cuts extending from the edge of the circular piece ot' metal to a circular blank space, I), which is concentric with the centre of the circular piece, and which forms the bottom 0i' the basket.

This piece of metal, thus'cut, as exhibited in fig. l, is then swaged up in basket-ibrm, as shown in fig. 2, the pieces c, formed by the cuts a, composing the sides of the baskets, the cuts a being of such a form and Size as t0 admit oi' thorough ventilation, and still not admit ct'berries or other small fruit passing suiiiciently far between the pieces c to cause them to be cut, scraped, or injured by the edges of c.

The upper ends of the pieces c may be turned over a wire, d, the latter rendering the basket stiffand firm.

I do not coniine myselil to any particular shape of' side pieces c for the basket, for they may be made of various forni, as fancy may dictate, and, if necessary, they may be corrugated, in order to render them stiii'; and-when very thin or light sheet-metal is used for stock, this may be desirable.

I ain aivare that sheet-metal fruit-baskets have been previously made, but in a compara-tively expensive Way, the bottoni being made separately from the side, and secured to the latter by a soldered or lock-joint, requiring the use of a tin-folding machine. l

I do not claim broadly a irait-basket constructed of sheet-metal, for they have been previously used, but constructed differently from mine; but

I do cla-iin as new, and desire to secure by Letters A fruit-basket, constructed out of a single piece oi' sheet-metal, cut and swaged up in the desired shape, substantially as shown and described.

The above speciiication of my. invention signed by me, this 29th day of June, 1,868.

CHARLES MOORE.

Witnesses:

FRANK BLocKLEr, ALEX. E. ROBERTS. 

